West Virginia Code § 52-2-11

Materials subpoenaed by grand jury; authorizing custodian possession
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and use thereof.
(a) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Prosecuting attorney" means a prosecuting attorney, assistant prosecuting attorney or
duly appointed special prosecuting attorney.
(2) "Investigator" means an investigator employed by a prosecuting attorney's office or an
employee of a state agency authorized by the provisions of this code to perform criminal
investigations. For purposes of this definition, state agency shallu include a legislative
committee, commission or entity authorized by the provisions of this code to perform
criminal investigations.
(3) "Law-enforcement officer" shall have the same meaaning as is set forth in section one,
article twenty-nine, chapter thirty of this code: Provided, That for purposes of this section,
"law-enforcement officer" shall also include those ilndividuals meeting the definition of "chief
executive" set forth in section one, article twesnty-nine, chapter thirty of this code.
(4) "Subpoenaed material" means books, irecords, documents, papers, computers, laptops,
computer hard drives, electronic records, including, but not limited to, emails, electronic
files, electronic documents, metadata or any other thing in any form in which it may exist.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, material subpoenaed and
received by a prosecuting attorney pursuant to a grand jury subpoena may thereafter, in the
discretion of the prosecuting attorney, be delivered to a designated law-enforcement officer
or investigator. Upon receipt from the prosecuting attorney, the designated law-enforcement
officer or investigato r may keep, review and analyze the subpoenaed materials and
otherwise useV the subpoenaed materials for investigative purposes.
(c) Prior to providing subpoenaed material to a designated law-enforcement officer or
investigator, as authorized by subsection (b) of this section, the prosecuting attorney shall
prepare and have the designated law-enforcement officer or investigator execute a
nondisclosure statement acknowledging the existence and content of the subpoenaed
material is secret under Rule 6(e) of the West Virginia Rules of Criminal Procedure. The
prosecuting attorney shall file all nondisclosure statements, under seal, with the clerk of the
circuit court. The existence or contents of any subpoenaed material subject to the provisions
of this section may only be disclosed to another law-enforcement officer or investigator for
investigative purposes with the prior written authorization of the prosecuting attorney and
the receiving law-enforcement officer's or investigator's execution of a nondisclosure
statement.
(d) The designated law-enforcement officer or investigator, as authorized by subsection (b)
of this section, may, in the discretion of the prosecuting attorney, retain the subpoenaed
material or other evidence in his or her possession, care, custody or control until the
termination of the investigation or presentation of the subpoenaed matter to the grand jury.

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